Voters OK $1.7M for WB Fire District

The West Barnstable Fire District annual meeting dispensed of 18 warrant items and approved a $1.7 million budget for FY 2015, a 2.1 percent increase, in half an hour on a rainy Wednesday night.

Susan Vaughn

Susan Vaughn photo

LEADING THE MEETING – Leading the West Barnstable Fire District annual meeting Wednesday night are, from left, Moderator Kate Mitchell at the podium, and prudential committee members Chrystal LaPine, chairman Edward C. Smith and Van Northcross. Twenty-eight residents approved the district’s FY 2015 budget of $1.7 million in half an hour.

New funding for the library approved

The West Barnstable Fire District annual meeting dispensed of 18 warrant items and approved a $1.7 million budget for FY 2015, a 2.1 percent increase, in half an hour on a rainy Wednesday night. The meeting just made its quorum of 25 district residents, first counting 26 present and later adding the two people who were counting ballots.

The only warrant item that drew much discussion was a new prudential committee recommendation to ratify state legislation to help the Whelden Memorial Library with fire district funds. The legislation is now part of Chapter 89 in the Acts of 2014, which have to be passed by the House and Senate and go to the governor’s desk, prudential committee member Van Northcross explained. Cotuit is the only other Barnstable village to have taken similar action, he said.

Resident Joanne Wallace asked if the library would provide an accounting of how the recommended $15,000 would be spent. Northcross said it was not required under the law, but the prudential committee would consider doing so. “The enabling legislation allows us to set up a funding mechanism,” he said.

District counsel Bruce Gilmore said the library would be “well advised to report on the money.” He said it would make sense for the library trustees to report on the funds at next year’s annual meeting.

A letter from library treasurer Stuart Schulman that was included in the district’s annual report stated that the $15,000 would represent 10 percent of the library’s expected budget. The funds will allow the library to continue expanded hours and children’s programs that were begun last year, he said.

After the meeting Wallace said, “I think the library should disclose what it is spending the money for.” As a former library trustee she said she knows how hard it is to raise money.

One resident asked why retirees’ health insurance benefits were going up every year, and district treasurer Mike Daley answered that the district is ahead of many districts and towns on such funding by taking out $7,500 each year and putting back $22,500. The district can do so because it doesn’t have many employees, he said.

Other approved funds included: district officers’ salaries ($24,270), street lights ($7,500), hurricane proof windows in the fire station ($18,750), fire personnel equipment, ($13,000), new radios ($25,000), various reserve and stabilization accounts, with the biggest amount going to the general operation of the fire department at $1.1 million.

Edward C. Smith was re-elected to the prudential committee, Mark S. Wirtanen was re-elected to the water commission, and Kate Mitchell was re-elected as district meeting moderator. Other committee and commission members were not up for re-election.

Other upcoming fire district events for public input include a strategic planning process at 10:30 a.m. June 14 at the West Barnstable Fire Station. The brainstorming session will ask residents to identify the department’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The input will be used to develop a five-year strategic plan for the department.

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